TIME may yet prove Alastair Cook to be as good a captain as he is batsman and if that is the case England are surely set for another spell looking down from the peak of Test cricket.

Even if he does not though, things might not necessarily turn out all bad given how yesterday he raised the bar just about as high as it is possible to go.

Cook posted a monumental innings that stands as the highest score by an England skipper in Asia and one that batting coach Graham Gooch felt moved to describe as the best of his career so far.

That it came with England seemingly down in the dust which was combining ruthlessly with spinning Indian fingers made it all the more creditable.

Closing the fourth day at 168 not out with trusted sergeant Matt Prior at his side unbeaten on 84, the pair gave England hope – at 340-5 and leading by 10 runs – that they may yet draw this match.

If they do, they will stride on confidently to Mumbai next week.

He is a young captain still finding his way but some players blossom under the captaincy as a performer

Graham Gooch

But even if they do not, team-mates who have long since admired Cook for his relentless accumulation of runs will now admire him as a leader, too.

And that will be a victory of sorts for Cook in his first Test since taking over from Andrew Strauss.

Not everyone is made for the captaincy. Some shrink under its burden, others find their minds scrambled by the added demands on their time. Some even find the worst characteristics of their personality magnified.

And while these are early days the signs are that the pressure will at least not affect Cook’s ability to concentrate. In total he batted for well over eight hours under intense pressure and emerged unbowed.

Prior also deserves enormous credit, too, for the way he reined in natural attacking instincts to stay with his skipper after England had slumped to 199-5, still trailing India’s first-innings total by 131 runs.

It was only when Prior defended the final ball of the night from a frustrated Pragyan Ojha into the offside that Cook gave any sign of emotion – puffing out cheeks out as if he had been holding his breath since the morning session.

Cook has racked up records ever since entering Test cricket but a few milestones are worth noting after this knock.

In reaching his 21st Test century in his 84th Test, he joined Kevin Pietersen and Strauss – former captains both – on that mark and now sits just one behind the trinity of Wally Hammond, Geoff Boycott and Colin Cowdrey as the record-holders for England.

Cook also became the only captain in the history of the game to score centuries in each of his first three Tests – a statistic that takes in his two Tests as skipper in Bangladesh in 2010 when Strauss was on sabbatical.

It was also his fifth century in Asia, more than any other England batsman. Still just 27, it is conceivable that Cook will eventually set a benchmark that will not be touched for decades.

Gooch was understandably effusive. “Alastair led from the front as captain and that was as good as I have seen him play. He was under great pressure after a poor first-innings performance from the team but this lad has a great temperament,” he said.

“He is a young captain still finding his way but some players blossom under the captaincy as a performer.

“He can do that because he is one of the best players in the world and it is not just physical skill with him, you need skill between the ears and he has that, too.”

Whatever the result, several others in England colours will emerge without such credit. Ian Bell only partially redeemed his rush-of-blood-to-the-head moment from the first innings with 22 yesterday. And Pietersen added just two runs before he was bowled round his legs by the left-arm spin of Ojha.

Following his nervy 17 in the first innings it was not the return everyone had in mind when they jumped through hoops to reintegrate him into this side.

Gautam Gambhir, who left for Delhi after the death of his grandmother and missed the fourth day, is expected back this morning but will not be allowed to bat until later in their second innings. India will hope to be batting sooner rather than later and to have wrapped it up before having to call on him. England still have other ideas.